What is Mylar?

Mylar is a piece of polyester film now available in various colors, thickness and opacity. It became more widely known and popular in the 1960’s when NASA launched a Mylar balloon satellite and in later years technology made it possible for the average person to purchase silver Mylar balloons for birthdays and other holiday events. When used with Embroidery it provides a shine or sparkle to the piece, almost like it was stitched with metallic thread without any of the complications. You can also layer several pieces for a different effect. The film is fragile and tears easily.

The designs in this category have been digitized to use with Mylar. The first step is typically a placement stitch to where the Mylar should be placed. The second step is a tackdown to hold the Mylar in place. Do not remove the Mylar yet. The third step is the fill step that stitches over the Mylar. Remember the fill is usually a lower density so some of the sparkle of the Mylar can show through. This also means that some of your background fabric color/print can show through as well. You can always add a layer of white Mylar if too much of the background shows through. After the fill step you can gently tear away the remaining Mylar from around the design. If any small pieces remain you can use tweezers to remove them. Then stitch any embellishments and/or the final outline to finish the design. If there are multiple colors used there may be additional steps included with the design.

Although some people use old Mylar balloons or gift wrap, those are not washable and won’t hold up on clothing. You can purchase a type of Mylar that is washable and can be put in the dryer on lower settings from Heirlooms by Sharon.